Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Geranium sylvaticum

Family

Geraniaceae

Flowering season

May to August

English distribution

It is found mainly in the north of the country and is very

thinly scattered elsewhere.

For a map see the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland

– Wood Crane’s-Bill

Habitat

It grows in upland hay meadows and open woodlands, on

rocky ledges, hedge-banks and verges, and by streams

and rivers. It is decreasing through loss of

habitat.

Description

Wood Crane’s-Bill is a native, rhizomatous perennial herb

growing up to 75cm.

The flowers are up to 3cm across and slightly cup-shaped

with 5 overlapping petals. The petals are blue-violet and

white at the base giving the flower its white centre.

The petal apices are round or slightly notched.

There are 10 stamens with white filaments and purple

anthers.

The style is long and red and there are 5 curved linear

stigmas.

Wood Crane'-Bill is smaller than Meadow Crane's-Bill and 

its style and stigma is red, not white.

The fruit is a long erect mericarp (cranes-bill) which

splits longitudinally to release the seeds.

The 5 sepals are lanceolate to oval, hairy and spreading

with pointed tips.

The leaves are up to 12cm across and palmate with 7

toothed lobes cut to four fifths of the palm.

The stems and leaf stalks are covered in glandular hairs.